Tottenham Hotspur is full of flair, pace and thrills. But despite their promising play and consistent record, they have been unable to place any new silverware in their cabinet. The most significant reason for this is their lack of strength in depth. It seems Tottenham are solely reliant on Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane, and have few options besides them. Thus many have begun to state that without reinforcements, Tottenham will never progress into a serious challenger for big titles.

Tottenham is bruised at this moment, having been knocked out of two cup competitions in fewer than seven days. The semi-final EFL Cup defeat to Chelsea must have been particularly hard to take given that they were leading the two-legged affair on aggregate after the first game. Semi-final defeat is a familiar feeling for Tottenham; it was their third semi-final reverse in the last three seasons. Another deja vu for Tottenham fans is that of feeling weak and under strength on the big occasions. The two emotions are connected because every season Tottenham’s most prominent stars seem to go missing when they need them most. Top scorer and captain Harry Kane once again sustained an unfortunately severe injury, and meanwhile, Son has missed large swathes of this campaign due to his national team commitments.

Tottenham have talent beyond Kane and Son in Moura, Eriksen and Alli but without the South Korean and his English captain, Eriksen and company have few suitable outlets. Tottenham does have Fernando Llorente as cover for Kane, and the likes of Erik Lamela as cover for Son, but neither player is as gifted as their first choice counterpart, and neither player does as much for the team either. Kane and Son provide goals and assists. They’re the first line of defense with clever variations and movements that keep opposing defenses on high alert. Their impact goes far beyond mere goals. Their presence on the field provides a sizable mental and morale boost that is difficult to overstate.

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I don’t believe that Tottenham’s rivals have the same issue either. Manchester City has Gabriel Jesus to replace Sergio Aguero and Chelsea has Loftus-Cheek, Pedro and Willian to replace Hazard. Meanwhile Manchester United has Sanchez to replace Rashford and Arsenal has Lacazette to replace Aubamenyang. Most of Tottenham’s rivals have top quality reinforcements to back up their famed stars. Even the relatively small Liverpool squad has replacements for Salah, Mane and Firmino in the likes of Sturridge and Lallana.

The struggle for Tottenham is that they do not have the level of funds that their rival’s possess. Their monetary problems have only worsened thanks to their upcoming move to a new stadium. But if Tottenham is ever to win the Premier League and or begin to build a collection of trophies, they have to spend money and provide alternatives to their main outlets in Kane and Son.

Tottenham, of course, do win without their star men, and they do keep on a steady course, but their fans desire more than mere top-four finishes. Tottenham needs big game players who can replace Son and Kane when they are unavailable and can realistically challenge them for a first-team place when they are available to play. They also need players who will revel on the largest stage, in Premier League matches against their top four rivals and in the latter stages of cup competitions.

Tottenham desperately needs reinforcements to support Kane and Son. Kane and Son desperately need help in propping up their club’s hopes and dreams. It will be up to the board to see whether they can find some capital to purchase high caliber reinforcements.